South Milwaukee resident wins Days of Sharing donation for VSA Wisconsin from Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, is announcing a $10,000 grant for VSA Wisconsin on behalf of South Milwaukee resident Matt Vobejda, a winner in Northwestern Mutual’s Days of Sharing campaign. The annual program encourages employees to nominate local nonprofits they care deeply about to receive grant funds in their name.

Vobejda works as an application development consultant in the information systems department at the Milwaukee-based financial security company.

“This grant will support the mission of VSA Wisconsin, which is to expand the capabilities, confidence and quality of life for children and adults with disabilities by providing programs in dance, drama, creative writing, music and visual arts,” said Vobejda. “When my wife lost her hearing as a child, VSA Wisconsin provided amazing opportunities for her to explore the arts and give her opportunities that she would have never been able to experience otherwise.”

More than 770 employees nominated their favorite local nonprofit as part of Days of Sharing this year. The 25 winning grants were chosen at random each day during the week of November 12 and range in size from $1,000 to $10,000.

“Northwestern Mutual employees have a long history of giving back to the community,” said John Kordsmeier, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “This is a unique way for us to recognize and honor the passion that employees like Matt have for strengthening the places where we live and work.”

More than 1,000 Northwestern Mutual employees donate 21,000 hours each year to community volunteer efforts through group activities, mentoring, charity drives, and service on nonprofit boards.

In the program’s five-year history, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation has awarded more than $600,000 in grants on behalf of its employees.